Jibran Vahidy: Assessing YouTube Educational Channel as a Platform for Collaborative Learning

Assessing YouTube Educational Channel as a Platform for Collaborative Learning in Higher Education

YouTube Education Channel  

YouTube recently launched an e-learning platform called Education Channel, which supports multi-session learning content on a myriad of subjects ranging from food science, psychology, business, and investing (YouTube, 2019). The social media giant has teamed up with leading online learning platforms like Openclassroom to provide free courses in fields such as Technology and Digital Literacy. This post assesses the effectiveness of YouTube Educational Channel as a platform for collaborative learning in higher education. In doing so, we explore important questions such as; how do students engage with materials in the social media space, communicate with peers, access digital knowledge artifacts, and produce complex analytical data, which can be used for problem-solving purposes. Accessibility YouTube Education Channel allows opportunities to create content and to participate in public interaction around that content with minimal technical expertise and resources. Teachers and students can record and upload video content and receive instant feedback. Additionally, users can access content using most wireless electronic devices including laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc. YouTube Education Channel allows users on-demand access to media, which aligns with student expectations to be in constant communication with their peers and mentors.  A potential issue related to accessibility is the variability in the user-experience. For example, academic staff maybe less familiar with YouTube and other digital media, therefore less likely to innovate time-saving and flexible teaching practices (Johnson et al. 2018, p. 154). However, YouTube Creator Academy offers a series of instructional videos on how to set-up and maintain an Education Channel for educators and administrators. Community In the case of YouTube Education Channel, interaction around content may include both written and video responses. Access to these resources empowers students while challenging traditional in-class instruction and social interactions. According to Elaine Tan (2013), in traditional classroom settings the authority of the teacher or the text often shapes student input, whereas comments and exchanges on YouTube exist in a different reputation structure (p. 463). In essence, user comments can drive discussions or change the topic entirely. Examples of user comments include; appreciative comments, supportive, critical, and personal anecdotes etc. YouTube launched the Community tab, a feature designed to help creators engage with their audience outside of the videos that they upload to their channel. The Community tab, which replaces the Discussion tab, gives YouTube a Facebook page-like experience where creators can post polls, GIFs, text, images, and video (YouTube Community, 2019). A potential issue related to community aspect is the diverse nature and tone of user responses. YouTube videos made public may elicit a wide range of responses from learners of diverse academic, professional backgrounds, and life experiences, which can inadvertently impact the quality and quantity of feedback provided. However, to counter this issue administrators can configure privacy settings to allow access to a select group of users. Additionally, YouTube Education Channel allows creators to remove, report, and hide inappropriate comments. Information Credibility Social media platforms like YouTube Education Channel are shaping and impacting the formal learning environment of tomorrow. However, to what extent is it the responsibility of higher educational institutions to develop digital literacy within students? YouTube Educational Channel allows users to create a private space where vetted resources are contributed by students and teachers. Such contributions and recommendations help students navigate more effectively by selecting appropriate content to support their learning. Analytics Similar to other popular social media platforms YouTube has its own analytical tool called YouTube Analytics, which provides users with quantitative information for the purposes of enhancing their YouTube page and video strategy. YouTube Analytics provides key metrics such as; watch time, average percentage viewed, average view duration, audience retention, re-watches and engagement (i.e. number of likes), subscriber growth (YouTube Analytics, 2019). This quantitative information can be exported to spreadsheet format allowing users to analyze large sets of performance metrics. For instance, YouTube’s demographic report provides detailed information about viewers including; age, gender, and geography. This data can help instructors create and modify lecture content to appeal to more students.    

References:

Elaine Tan (2013) Informal learning on YouTube: exploring digital literacy

in independent online learning, Learning, Media and Technology, 38:4, 463-477, DOI:

10.1080/17439884.2013.783594 Amy NB. Johnston, Matthew J. Barton, Grant A. Williams-Pritchard, Michael Todorovic (2018) YouTube for Millennial Nursing Students; Using Internet Technology to Support Student Engagement with BioScience, Nurse Education in Practice, Volume 31, Pages 151-155, DOI: 10.1016/j.nepr.2018.06.002

YouTube. (2019, March 26). YouTube. Education Channel. Retrieved March 26, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQFKQXI3EhSSWSwODomZ_aw/featured?disable_polymer=1 

YouTube. (2019, March 26). YouTube. YouTube Creator Academy. Retrieved March 26, 2019, from https://creatoracademy.youtube.com/page/course/analytics-series

YouTube. (2019, March 26). YouTube. YouTube Creator Academy. Retrieved March 26, 2019, from https://creatoracademy.youtube.com/page/lesson/safe-community?cid=fans&hl=en